Hats off to all my fellow millenials out there who spent most of their teenage years over plucking eyebrows within an inch of their life. It was the done thing, so many of us did it and now live to regret the aftermath 10 years later while feeling bushy in all the wrong places when it comes to the eyebrow department. Hells yeah I can grow little caterpillar brows! They grow down the way, and out the way, and slap bang in the middle... but never enough to merit a good, long shape. Just an interrupted monobrow of sorts. Alas, earlier this year I finally bit the bullet and decided to invest in a tattooed pair of brows. I say invest, because the money I would spend getting them tinted and waxed and buying products to fill them in would probably equate to the same amount of money over the same amount of time. However, I know it's a slightly bigger commitment than your average HD brow appointment, which is why I thought I'd share my experience so far.

Every year on the last weekend in March, the Corn Exchange in Edinburgh plays host to one of my favourite days out... The Scottish Tattoo Convention!
Scotland isn't the only holder of weekends like this, there are annual
conventions all over the country (and all over the world too I guess!)
throughout the year - in the likes of London, Brighton, Manchester,
Liverpool and Carlisle to name a few. I thought I'd share some pictures
from this years Edinburgh convention, to give a little insight as to
what actually happens at them apart from the obvious tattooing.

Last week my lovely boyfriend turned 27 and it ended up being a four day
celebration full of food, tattoos and spa treatments. On the Wednesday,
Pete ended up taking the day off work (before his planned days off on
the Thursday and Friday) because he's having mega back problems at the
moment. That's what happens when you get oooold (Just kidding, I'm 27
this summer too. HALP ME) I'd had plans of running a few last minute
errands that day, and going to Wholefoods to buy stuff for a nice
birthday dinner and his birthday cake too. But OF COURSE the wounded
soldier ended up complaining that he wanted to come with me. So the game
was a bogey in terms of foodie surprises. I even tried to hide the
birthday cake but they gave me it in a box with a see through top. I'd
done quite well in hiding his presents anyways (this sorta thing becomes
a bit of a challenge when you live with someone) so wasn't gonna beat
myself up too much that he'd seen his cake, despite me trying my hardest
to be a birthday ninja!

Hello everyone! This is the last post I'll be squeezing in before heading off to Portugal on Wednesday, and it's actually one I've been meaning to do for a while. I got my first tattoo at 18, and 8 years later my body is starting to fill up with a pieces of 'artwork' that I've collected from around 10 different tattoo artists so far. I thought I'd share some photos and who I got the tattoos from, along with a few questions I commonly get asked. It was so hard to photograph every single one of these individually without it being a total photo spam, and I hope I haven't missed any out! I was initially planning on posting them in chronological order, but that's too much of a maze for me to get my head around haha. So we shall start from the feet and work our way up.

Hello Sunday, my old friend. It feels like this time of the week comes around far too quickly. It's good during the week for the days to fly in when I'm working 8am-7pm, but when the weekend goes in just as quick I feel a bit sad come Sunday night! But hey ho, I'm chilling on the couch while Pete plays Fifa, dinner is in the oven and once we've rearranged the bedroom I shall have a bath before we settle down for the night. That's what lazy Sundays should be about after all. That and the 'I don't want to go to School tomorrowww' phase which normally kicks in around 9pm...

This is my standard weekend 'running errands' face. I tend to not wear too much makeup to work during the week, and normally tie my hair up so it's nice to take a bit of time to get ready come Saturday. You can see my natural hair colour is coming in thick and fast, which I'm trying to embrace! I'd love to have a lighter set of locks come summer. But going dark over winter was the only way to get rid of my blue hair (which I now miss dearly!)

I got a lovely new pair of Glasses from the new London Retro collection, Retrospective. I've always been one for the square shaped 'geeky' glasses, but I'd been looking to try some more vintage style frames as a wee treat for starting my new job. I ordered my top 4 choices and did the Glasses Direct home trial, which is totally free and means you get to try before you buy. I think it's a great idea for people wanting to buy glasses online and solves the problem of not getting to try them on like you would in the shop. I'm glad I did the home trial because the frames which were my first choice actually didn't suit my face shape at all. I ended up going for the 'Presley' frame.

I love a bit of extra time in bed in the mornings, so it's a quick makeup face for me which literally just consists of mascara, a tiny bit of brown eyeshadow on my brows, the Urban DecayUltra Definition Powder Foundation and Naked Concealer. I normally always wear liquid foundation with a powder on the top, so a pressed powder foundation is a bit different for me! But this new one from Urban Decay plus the concealer (around my eyes, cheeks and chin) has a fantastic coverage that still feels light to wear. It's quite matte too which is great as I don't have time to top up my makeup during the day, and normally start to go a bit oily across my t-zone come lunch time. In the first photo I am wearing the medium light neutral shade in both, but I think next time I will go for the fair neutral as I don't wear fake tan as much these days. The medium light is probably as dark as I would ever get away with! The foundation comes in 14 different shades and the concealer comes in 8. The only other Urban Decay products I had tried before this was their eyeshadows, but they are standing pretty strong with their Face game now too. I'm intrigued to try their prep spray, primer and setting spray next as I've heard very good things.

Apart from running errands and doing lots of life admin the last couple of weekends, I've also managed to squeeze in a couple of new tattoos! The top one is by Darryl Mullen at Irezumi in Glasgow, and the second one was done by Keely Rutherford at the Scottish Tattoo Convention through in Edinburgh yesterday. She's based in London so I was chuffed to get a space with her while she was up here. I was thinking of doing a tattoo post soon, as I 'wear' them on my body every single day, just like my glasses and a bit of makeup... but they are a slightly more permanent commitment mind you ;) Hope you are having a lovely Sunday whatever you are upto ♥

"Wake up early. Drink coffee. Work hard. Be ambitious. Keep your priorities straight, your mind right and your head up. Do well, live well and dress really well. Do what you love, love what you do. It is time to start living."

My 2015 has so far consisted mostly of denying all adult responsibilities, smiling and laughing more than I ever remember doing in the past, and finally watching Breaking Bad. I know I'm a bit late to that bandwagon, but watching an episode every time I'm meant to be doing something else productive in the new flat has been GREAT. For that reason, I'm on season three already.

I've mentioned recently that my life seems to completely flip between selling my soul to the television industry and then being off work for weeks on end, where I make up for all that lost time in my social calendar. I've started working on this and look forward to making my blogging less sporadic, so I've got a few more 'themed' posts lined up for the coming weeks before I embark on a scary 5 month job. Before that here's a brief run down of the ways I have been very selfishly and indulgently spending my days in January.

Popped my Swoon cherry and got my nails done by the down right amazing Lia.

Doing some cooking of my own. Beef fillet wrapped in porcini mushrooms and parma ham, with mash, asparagus and a red wine jus.

Indulging in all the treats from Lush, as I have a bath in my new abode.

I do love having a relaxing soak. I can never expect much privacy though.

Not strictly all play, I did Art Direct a kids tv show for CBBC for a couple of weeks. This is our beautiful wee set.

I now live across from a super awesome cheesy nightclub called the Shed. This calls for local nights out with my fellow south side ladies.

More drinks and dancing with my lovely gals. I've also discovered at 25 that I don't get a hangover by not mixing my drinks. Rocket science...

Disappearing in the car for the day on outdoorsy adventures. Can't wait to do more of these.

And finally, taking a stupid amount of pictures of my face because it's acceptable for our generation. How else am I supposed to remember what I looked like in my mid twenties eh? I just downloaded time hop and I'm not quite sure how to feel about it yet. A strange mixture of funny throwbacks, hair/life envy and emotional nostalgia!

Being a bit selfish and beginning to strike an even balance of work and play is proving more helpful than I'd ever thought it would be. I'm positive and productive at work because I've had time to blow off some steam, and I then enjoy the down time and don't feel 'guilty' because I know I have worked my ass off. It's a golden circle and I'm still finding my way, but the journey is actually an enjoyable one.

I love my city, I really do. Glasgow always has so much to offer, and even more so at this time of year. It has been absolutely brilliant finishing up work and getting to spend time with my nearest and dearest, catching up and getting ready for the festive celebrations. Oh, and not to mention the small detail of packing up my entire flat and moving out right between Christmas and Hogmanay (good one Ayden, I know) But hey, New Year equals a new start, right? Here's a run down of my favourite places I've been exploring on the run up to Christmas:

Glasgow On Ice

My old flatmate Claire and I had a little day in town at Glasgow On Ice thanks to simplyhealth, then for a semi healthy lunch at Wagamama afterwards. The Ice Skating is at George Square along with some fairground rides and stalls selling mulled wine and other delicious smelling Christmassy food and drink. Claire is a personal trainer who runs her own spin studio, and has always been very sporty so OF COURSE she took to the ice skating perfectly straight away. It took me on the other hand a few circles of the monument before I wasn't skidding about like Bambi. Ice Skating is a great way to stay active over the indulgent festive period, along with the likes of skiing and my favourite - snowboarding! Can't wait to get back on my board in the New Year, the mountains of Scotland are starting to look pretty snowy already.

Blitzedmas

Blitzed is a 1940's themed club night which happens every few months or so in Glasgow. The Christmas edition was at SWG3 so I took my friend Sally along who was up from London to visit. We went for the 'dolled up' ticket which included getting our hair done by the amazing Miss Dixiebelle's (who did my hair for Luisa's hen party last year) along with some mulled wine in a lovely VIP dressing room. Once we were ready, we headed downstairs to dance along to the swing band performing and get our photos taken in the Bygone Photobooth. Such a different and refreshing type of night out to go on, and it was great seeing everyone making a real effort with their outfits, makeup and hair.

Eden Beauty Garden

With so many parties and nights out to attend over Christmas and New Year, I decided to try out eyelash extensions for the very first time because I suck so much at putting fake eyelashes on! The picture above is with absolutely no mascara, just my own lashes plus the extensions. They are completely flawless and I want to keep them forever. Alas they only last around a month, depending on how well you take care of them. I've not been wearing any eyeliner or mascara, or rubbing my eyes like I usually do, and I have only noticed a few starting to fall out in the last couple of weeks. Being finished at work means I was able to get some super girly nails done too, and went for these red sparkly gel's. Extensions of course, my own nails are nowhere near as long or nicely shaped at this, but maybe one day! Both my lashes and nails were done at Eden Beauty Garden which has just opened inside Central Chambers. Slightly more pricey than most places in town, but I think the extra £10 or so is completely worth it. I've had so many beauty treatments done which are a slap dash job with no care taken at all. The girls at Eden take such pride in their work and it shows, because my nails and lashes are the nicest I've had and have lasted longer than I ever expected them to.

Heenatastic

You've probably seen traces of Heenatastic starting to appear across quite a few Scottish Blogs at the moment, and for very good reason! Sadia's work is amazing and when my friend Heather text a few weeks ago to say she was booking us in as a pre-christmas treat I was so excited! The first pictures are mine and Heather's henna the night it was done, and the third picture was taken by my gal Ashley today (patiently awaiting good news at the Apple Store as my iphone battery is dying a death) It took around 3 hours for both our hands to be finished, and I'm hoping it will last for the next few weeks. Definitely a wee something different that I would like to treat myself to every couple of months. I'm already looking up inspiration pictures for my next visit.

Bath St Tattoo Collective

It wouldn't be Christmas if I didn't treat myself to a new tattoo! But I guess I don't even need that excuse haha. Rizza Boo from Jolie Rouge in London was up at the newly opened Bath Street Tattoo Collective doing a few days as a guest tattooist, so I booked in with her as I have been following her work from ages. So so happy with how this one on my side turned out. I'm booked back in with Billy Hay in January to get my shins done which should be... fun? The shop is looking amazing and they have so many great artists working there! Would definitely recommend them all if you're in Glasgow and looking to get tattooed.

Loch Tay Highland Lodges

Getting away from the city for these final few pictures, me and the girls headed up to Killin for a couple of nights in one of the glamping domes at Loch Tay Highland Lodges. Our dome had a lovely wood burning stove, oil lamps, bean bags and a massive bed to keep us cosy while sleeping under a clear sky full of stars. This is Scotland in Winter though, so it was still pretty nippy! We spent our time eating, drinking, playing Disney monopoly, exploring, plus a day trip to Callendar for a look around the quaint little shops and an awesome pub lunch. I took some footage of the trip so hope to get a video up soon. It was the perfect chance to blow away the cobwebs and get my head together before the busy weeks ahead.

I'll be fitting in one more post before the year is out, and in the meantime I hope December is treating you all well ♥

Hello lovelies! A bit of a rewind on this post as the pictures are all from a couple of months ago (with my pink hair) when I got some new tattoos all in the space of a few weeks of each other.

You'll have seen the scissors I got tattooed for my Mum a few posts back (both them and the above are by Stephen Kelly) and next up I planned to get an old school cafe racer motorbike for my Dad. He got me into bikes at a very young age and we had motocrossers for years. My dad has always ridden road bikes but once we got rid of the crossers he went without one for quite a long time. Not long after I got the cafe racer tattoo, I turned up at my Dads one sunday to see this...

He finally took the plunge and bought himself a Triumph Bonneville. So happy for him, and that wee cheesy smile can't express how chuffed he is with his new ride. I'm hoping to sit my bike test this summer, but until then I'll be buying a second helmet and getting a backie on this one :)

With my next tattoo planned, me and the ladies took a trip to the Edinburgh Tattoo Convention which is held every year at the Corn Exchange.

Can you see I'm loving my Adventure Time swim suits?! I got papped at the convention by Dr Martens for wearing my skull brogues. This was on the Saturday, and I went back on the Sunday to get tattooed.

After a wander around the different stalls, looking at portfolios and artwork, I lay down on the bed for 3 hours for my appointment with the lovely Rachel Baldwin. She is super talented and a lady in demand! Which is why I ended up having to pop back over on the Sunday. Here is my little lucky cat she did for me (He sort of resembles Pikachu!)

Getting tattooed at a convention can be quite intimidating, and I wouldn't recommend it for your first tattoo. It's warm, often uncomfortable, and there are lots of people wandering around having a right good nosy at what's going on. We got papped while Rachel was tattooing me and it ended up in a few papers which was a nice surprise! I'm just glad that I look like I'm keeping my cool here. The inner arm is a nippy one and I wasn't looking forward to it. So to be honest, having lots of noise and people wandering about me was actually a blessing as it kept me distracted and helped the sitting fly in.

One of the things I like most about a tattoo convention is getting the opportunity to see tattooists from all around the world, whose work you may not have discovered otherwise. I had been following Rachel's super cute work for a while, but if I wanted tattooed by her I would have had to travel down to Liverpool. Which is fine (I'm actually going to Leeds for a tattoo in July) but more convenient for it to be closer to home. So I jumped at the chance to get tattooed by her when I heard she was coming to Edinburgh.

After the convention I went over to my Mum's house for a good old Sunday dinner. Getting tattooed can be quite a shock to the system, which is why it's important to make sure that you have eaten and drank plenty of water beforehand, and also make sure you refuel afterwards. You are putting your body through a mini ordeal and can end up feeling quite drained once the adrenaline has worn off.

I do get quite a lot of emails and questions about tattoos, so if you have any then drop me a comment at the end of this post and I will answer them for you as best as I can. If there's enough I could even do a wee Q&A post? I'm hardly an expert, but I have picked up a few do's and don't and learned some lessons in my timeline of getting tattooed.